This content requires Adobe Flash Player version
or later.
Either you do not have Adobe Flash Player installed,
or your version is too old,
or there is a problem with your Flash installation and we were unable to detect it.

WHEN THE FRENCH magazine Madame Figaro interviewed Hollywood actress Scarlett Johansson some years ago, they asked the secret of her beauty. Her answer? Not a skin cream, or cosmetic treatment, but eating Parma Ham. Although it’s not typically used as a beauty

product, Parma Ham has long been regarded as one of the purest foods available. Prosciutto di Parma – prosciutto is from the Latin perexsuctum, meaning dried – was first produced in Roman times. It received official recognition in 1963, when the Parma Ham Consortium was founded to promote and protect its production and designation. “When the Parma Ham producers, who are

all located in a small area to the south of Parma, began to distribute the product worldwide, they realised they needed protection against imitators and counterfeiters,” explains Elke Fernandez of the Parma Ham Consortium. “They gave themselves some strict production rules and defined our organisation’s role. Later, these rules became part of EU legislation.” Parma Ham comes from specific races of pigs

born and reared in Italy, and it must be cured for a mandatory 12 months, using only sea salt and no additives. This is how Parma Ham gets its mild, sweet taste – known in Italian as dolce. A genuine whole Parma Ham must be

trademarked with the Ducal Crown on both sides, visible even when the meat is cut in half. Packets of sliced ham bear the same Ducal Crown printed in gold on a black triangle. Parma Ham is a very healthy food, used as a protein replacer by athletes and a pre-match snack

284 A LEGACY OF LUXURY

by Italian footballers. “It has a high protein content and is easily digestible because the curing process breaks down the proteins into amino acids,” says Elke. “People have a tendency to discard the fat but it’s very important to the taste and not unhealthy because during the curing the fat components change from saturated to unsaturated.” Parma Ham is renowned for its versatility.

“In Italy it’s traditionally eaten with bread, cheese or cantaloupe melon,” says Elke. “It goes well with all kinds of fruit, especially figs, and can be used in salads or pasta dishes too. More recently, chefs have used it to wrap around fish. I’ve seen Parma Ham Belgian chocolates and even an ice cream. It’s all a question of personal taste.” The Parma Ham Consortium represents 150

producers and exports Parma Ham to around 90 countries worldwide, selling 79 million pre-sliced packs a year. After Italy, the US is the biggest market, closely followed by Germany, France and Britain. Even a product as successful as Parma Ham

can’t afford to rest on its laurels. “We’re involved in a lot of new initiatives,” says Elke. “We’re running programmes financed by the EU, such as Legends of Europe, which is a way of getting European products better known in the USA, educating the American trade and consumer on what Protected Designation of Origin means. We also run a Parma Ham Specialist programme, recognising and rewarding restaurants or points of sale which have a big commitment to Parma Ham. That way we can speak directly to consumers and make them feel important.” — www.prosciuttodiparma.com